This invention is adapted to be embodied in an internal combustion engine and more particularly to a mounting arrangement for an accessory that is driven by an output shaft of the engine at a relatively low position but is quite secure and does not overstress any engine component.
As is well known, internal combustion engines are particularly utilized to drive a number of accessories, many of which are not essential for the operation of the engine. This is particularly true with vehicle applications where the many of the engine driven accessories serve functions for other vehicle systems such as air conditioning, electrical power generation and power assisting vehicle components other than the engine.
This basically presents problems in both accessory positioning, serviceability, accessory drive and the like. It has therefore been the practice to locate at least some of these accessories quite low and often below the rotational axis of the engine output shaft. An example of such a mounting relation is shown in Japanese Published Application Hei 6-108919. As seen therein the engine has an engine body and support means for allowing an accessory for the engine to be disposed in the outer lateral vicinity of the engine body and to be supported on the engine body,. As is typical, the engine body includes a cylinder block in which cylinder bores are formed. Pistons reciprocate in these cylinder bores and drive the engine crankshaft. This crankshaft is journalled for rotation by the cylinder block and a bulkhead that is secured to the lower face of the cylinder block. Also an oil pan is secured to the lower face of the bulkhead for reserving the engine lubricating oil.
As shown in this publication, the accessory is supported on the oil pan alone. This requires the oil pan sufficiently to support the accessory even though the oil pan is not originally designed for this purpose. However this may cause the configuration of the oil pan to be complicated and also requires the oil pan to be provided with a bulged portion which tends to make the engine oversized.
It is therefore a principle object of the invention to provide an accessory mounting arrangement for an internal combustion engine that allows a low mounting position without overstressing the oil pan that provides a part of the support.